Caring for and treating herds of milk cows is a tedious and time-consuming task notwithstanding the effort and time involved in milking procedures. For example, it is prudent to treat the udder and teats of each cow following milking. This is usually done by hand with a salve. Salves prevent chafing and irritation caused by the milking machines. If chafed areas develop and are allowed to become infected, still further treatment with antiseptic becomes required. Persistent irritation and infections can effect the cow's milk production, temperament, and can eventually lead to complete loss of production until a cure is complete.
Needless to say, rubbing down each cow's udder and teats after each milking is tedious work and easy to "put off". It has therefore become desirable to obtain some form of mechanical applicator that would encourage treatment with salves by decreasing the required effort and application time.
The problem encountered, though, is reducing salve to a liquid consistency suitable for application by mechanical means. Petroleum-based salves will liquify when heated above ambient temperatures. Higher temperatures correspondingly lower the viscosity. The material thickens again as it cools. Temperatures must be carefully maintained to keep the salve material in a liquified state. Cooled, solidified salve would quickly clog an applicator unit.
Another problem encountered with mechanical application of liquified salves is the rate or density of application. A liquified salve sprayed at full strength will invariably result in over-application, often within a localized treatment area. This can be corrected only by rubbing to spread the excess material over adjacent untreated areas--an unsatisfactory solution since the primary purpose of quickly and easily applying the salve is defeated.
Somewhat similar problems are also encountered when it becomes desirable to augment grain or other feed with molasses as a food supplement treatment for livestock. In the past this has been possible only by complicated industrial processes not typically available to the farmer or rancher. The expense incurred in having feed treated is often prohibitive.
Spraying devices have been developed to aid dairymen in applying liquid antiseptic or other liquids to the udders and teats of cows. These represent only a partial solution to the problems. They operate well for applying a "liquid" but are unable to apply a salve treatment due to the same difficulties discussed above. Liquids that lend themselves to spraying cannot contain the same valuable softening and conditioning ingredients as salves.
An example of a liquid spray applicator is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,763,828 to Tighe. This patent discloses high-pressure application of a liquid through a spray nozzle actuated by a sophisticated electrical sensing mechanism and timer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,166 to Belden discloses a spray head designed to spray a cleansing and disinfectant liquid onto cows udders and teats. Freely flowable liquids must be used with this system to allow passage through the spray nozzles.
Another form of spray treating apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,830,559 to McMurray. The spray nozzles in this device are attached by a halter arrangement to the animal so the liquid spray can be accurately directed against the udder area. Again as above, the device is intended for use with flowable liquids.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,529,577 to McMenemy is illustrative of hand-held insecticide spraying device for livestock. A metering and valving arrangement allow control of solution mixture. All solutions are initially liquid and remain so as they are mixed and sprayed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,267,903 to Valentine discloses a wand device for connection to a water hose for applying warm water through a brush. The wand and brush are used for cleaning cow udders. A sampling tray is attached to the brush end of the wand to assist milk sampling procedures prior to milking.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,713,423 to Sparr discloses another teat and udder cleanser and sanitizer. It includes a teat cup attached to a pressurized source of air and disinfectant solution. The cup can be fitted over individual teats and a valve operated to spray disinfectant over the teat and adjacent udder areas within the confines of the cup. A drain tube is openly connected to the cup to receive and drain off excess spray.
R. M. Grams was issued U.S. Pat. No. 2,379,855 for a pneumatic fly sprayer. The device makes use of the existing vacuum system of a milking machine to supply pressurized air to force a liquid insecticide spray from a nozzle.
Another spray cleansing device is disclosed in the Marley patent (U.S. Pat. No. 3,221,708). This device makes use of a plurality of sprinkler heads arranged under protective hoods to spray jets of water on and over cows in a corral.
Albers in U.S. Pat. No. 3,183,890 uses spray nozzles attached to a network of pipes arranged in a chute configuration for guiding cows past the spray nozzles.
A brushless spray wand is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,731,300 to Jansen. Two separate valving arrangements are used, along with double nozzles for selectively spraying water against the udders and teats of cows before milking.
The above patents point to various attempts at mechanizing pre and post treatment of cows using water or other similar liquids. None, however, appropriately address the problem discussed above. A need has therefore remained for such an apparatus.